Cairo building collapse: baby pulled from rubble day after 25 killed

The government has launched a campaign to identify illegally built, dangerous structures

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A six-month-old baby was pulled alive from the rubble of a 10-story building on Sunday, a day after the building collapsed in Cairo.

The death toll from the accident also rose from 18 to 25, authorities reported on Saturday night. Twenty-six people were also injured.

The officials said the baby, named Seif, was found coated in dust and was taken to a Cairo hospital. His sister and parents were killed, they said.

Rescue workers continued to sift through cement and rubble on Sunday, a security source said.

Egypt’s chief prosecutor, Hamadah El Sawy, ordered an investigation into the collapse of the building in Cairo’s eastern district of Gisr El Suez.

Police have cordoned off the area to keep out onlookers and relatives looking for loved ones who lived in the building.

Rescue workers were using bulldozers to clear the rubble while others searched for survivors.

There was no official word on the cause of the collapse, but such incidents are not uncommon in Egypt where shoddily-built apartment towers in Cairo and other major cities frequently collapse.

An engineering committee was formed to examine the structural integrity of neighbouring buildings, said Khalid Abdel Al, the administrative head of the Cairo Governorate.

The government has recently launched a high-profile campaign championed by President Abdel Fatah El Sisi to stop illegal buildings, including those built on the country’s vital farmlands or on the banks of the river Nile.

Most of the buildings that collapse violate construction safety guidelines and were built without the supervision of qualified architects.

At least five dead after apartment building collapses in Cairo

At least five dead after apartment building collapses in Cairo